Manchester City will save the cash they received from the sale of Mario Balotelli in order to fund the marquee summer signing of either Cristiano Ronaldo or Radamel Falcao.

The Blues pocketed around £20million from AC Milan for the striker, but manager Roberto Mancini was unable to replace his countryman before the close of the transfer window.

Now reports suggest City are already turning their attention to the summer, and with Ronaldo seemingly restless at Real Madrid, and Falcao almost certain to quit Atletico, it’s likely one of the strikers will find themselves at the Ethiad next season.

Former Barcelona duo Ferran Soriano and Txiki Begiristain – the club’s recently appointed chief executive officer and director of football – have been charged with putting City on the world map by 2014, which means an assault on the Champions League is crucial for next season.

Hot shot: Atletico Madrid’s Radamel Falcao (Picture: REUTERS)

City are one of the two clubs in the world – along with PSG – who could afford Ronaldo, and Real may be tempted to cash in on the Portuguese forward rather than extending his reported £9million-a-year contract.

The capture of Ronaldo would rocket City’s worldwide profile, but the 27-year-old may have reservations about joining the Blues having spent six years at Manchester United.

The alternative for the league champions would be Falcao, who would be available at a lower price, but would still bring ‘mega-star’ status to the Ethiad.

However, City would face stiff competition for the Colombian from Chelsea, who have also been heavily linked with an end-of-season move for the Atletico man.